A growing number of western Marylanders are saying they want a divorce from their state.

It’s not that they’re after bitter revolution and bloodshed. But they say they’re fed up with Maryland politics and want a fresh start for Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick and Carroll counties.

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72 comments:

A political exercise at best. While I would fully support a break from Maryland, Annapolis will never let us go with a very good reason. Short of outright (perhaps armed) defiance, the counties would have to make it in Maryland's interest to let us go.

If people do decide to vote with their feet and leave taking their taxable income with them AND IF Maryland was to go the way financially like Detroit, then how many think that the Feds would let a state go that badly that's in its backyard? Most likely the Feds at the last minute would rescue Maryland. But, those things come with a price. Next thing you know, Maryland will be like the District of Columbia and taking most of its orders and lead from Capitol Hill. With a Democrat..that's good for liberal Maryland. But if it's a Republican...that would be bad for liberal Maryland!! LOL

Not getting your way on political issues is not the same as being discriminated against because of your sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, etc. What kind of democracy would we have if the losing side just secedes every time they don't get their way. And what about the Democrats in western MD. They certainly exist, so won't they be just as disenfranchised if western MD secedes? This succession idea is dumb. It's also counter productive because western MD takes more tax revenue from state than it contributes.

I lived in Potomac for a number of years, moved around a bit and settled in Frederick county. I certainly don't feel like a have not... If anything I feel like a have more. To me, Frederick County has way more character than Montgomery county.

When 90% of the state population lives in the so-called urban areas, why shouldn't those urban areas get more attention. Considering how small the population of Western Maryland is and how long the roads and utility lines are, the rural areas are heavily subsidized by the urban areas, making western Maryland the real drag on the state.

These people making these comments about, "ok this is dumb, no one is going to let Maryland divide." That may be true! But the alternate will be that people on their own will just get up and leave. And that could be worse. Because, let's face it. These liberals do NOT appear to be able to fully support themselves. The whole state of Maryland relies too much on the wealthier counties of Maryland to support the whole enchilada and that's where these people who disagree with Annapolis live. If Maryland doesn't start considering these people better than they have in the past and these people "vote with their feet" and leave taking their "taxable income" with them, Maryland will eventually become another Detroit. A financial dustbag of disaster. LOL And I say...Good!! LOL

So what's wrong with wanting to leave? How many times have I heard a liberal in their cynical whiny voice say, "well, if you don't like it...leave!!" Ok, so now someone wants to take that liberal advice and leave...and now you're complaining about that even!! LOL Typical hypocrite liberals!! LOL LOL

It is tiresome and par for the course to have liberals slinging mud, when you have nothing constructive to say, they go for the lowest common denominator. For people who love to protest everything, it always boggles the mind how you want to cut off anyone, who does not agree with everything you believe, from using their first amendment right to speak their mind. Anyone with any sense can see that the urban parts of Maryland are not in tune with the needs of the rural parts of Maryland. And before you tell all these folks to up and leave because they have the nerve to not embrace everything you think your superior for believing, keep in mind at this point your bullying the minority and aren’t you all against that in principle? And when all those rednecks move out where are you going to get your food? Where will all the deer live that you don’t want hunted when you take up all their land for more housing? Where will you find the people to fix everything in your little urban deserts that you call home?

I grew up in Montgomery County, lived in Potomac, MD. Not North Potomac, which is really Gaithersburg, MD, or Potorock, which is really Rockville, MD, but became part of Potomac, MD, when Potomac, MD got its own zip code in the t980s/1990s.

They are not trying to change anything. They are trying to destroy a state, because they don't get what they want. There are places that exist that will give them exactly what they want, and nobody has to rip a state apart to do it. Move there. Simple.

What idiots. You don't like something? Move out. That's what conservatives tell anybody who has the slightest problem with America. Find a red state, and set up shop there. But don't insist we break apart an entire state because it doesn't do what YOU want it to do. (Which no doubt include giving guns to children, deny women's rights, persecuting gays, etc.) They don't care about a supposed "one party system", so long as it's their own party..which is exactly what this cartoonish call for succession really is.

They think they are being noble and patriotic, when really they are just being lazy. Call U-Haul and get out. We won't miss you.

beechlover, I "escaped" from the Peoples Republic of Maryland back in 2003 to Pennsylvania. I want to help you escape, it is so wonderful getting out of Maryland, there is so much out there to see and do, it's great.

I have no trouble with our cable TV provider, and I live in western MD. The only problem I have with over-the-air TV is that there's nothing but garbage on it such as talk shows, trashy "reality" TV shows, and so-called "sitcoms" with ill-behaved people and toilet humor, and that's the fault of the networks catering to the dumbed-down masses!

Oh, and the roads here are better than the ones I grew up with in the DC-Metro area, especially DC. Driving down there was always like being in an automotive version of a giant Whack-A-Mole game because of the potholes.

To the people who want to secede from Maryland, why not move South? I'm sure the Teabaggers in Texas or Mississippi would love to have you!

They will not be allowed to secede - so why even bring it up ? They elect representation that they want, and it does what it does, and the state does what it does. That's reality. And their reality is that if the majority of voters want it a certain way - that's the way it will be. It's that way with gay marriage. So the only realistic option that they have other than bellyaching is to move somewhere to be with like minded people Gays do when they can't change it and are persecuted. Wingnuts can go to N. Carolina or Utah or Texas if they can't stand it.

"Sorry this became a wall of text. I don't even live in Maryland, but I do see where these people are coming from. If there is no avenue for change at a state level because it already dominated by one party, one which they feel makes no effort to work for them: then let them break off. You told them to leave so let them."

You just described the county govt. of Fredneck. Where it's their way or the highway. So basically they are two-faced when it comes to wanting change.

It's interesting to see how history repeats itself. Those content with our one-party state sound like the British prior to the American Revolution, while those who are tired of being ruled by Montgomery County, Baltimore City and PG county sound like the colonists.

So many of you are saying things like "just move", "go to North Carolina", etc. I hope you can see why this is a bad path to tread. How would you feel if someone said "oh you're gay? Why don't you move to San Fransisco or Vermont? Don't try and change your situation here." People are allowed to try and change their situation at home. Home to a lot of people isn't something they just want to up and leave.

If you're going to use the line of reasoning that is "just leave if you don't like it" then you need to hold everyone to that reasoning. And therefore cannot be angry when groups that are not the majority have their ideas and desires ignored.

So if this is your thinking here I hope your prepared to answer the people in NC complaining about voter ID laws, when homosexuals don't get the same state tax breaks, etc, etc.

We can't go down the "love it or leave it" path because then you lose just about all credibility when trying to defend minority positions you agree with in other states.

Sorry this became a wall of text. I don't even live in Maryland, but I do see where these people are coming from. If there is no avenue for change at a state level because it already dominated by one party, one which they feel makes no effort to work for them: then let them break off. You told them to leave so let them.

In all likelihood they will either rejoin your state or one of the adjoining ones.

This is the typical tea bag party nonsense that they espouse. Why don't you move to another state that has laws for the corporations and against the people - like Texas for instance. I'm sure you will be happy there.

Also, as Americans, are we not able to move to another part of the country, or the world for that fact, if we don't like where we are living? Yes, it will cost money and it's difficult sometimes, but just shut up or move.

The have-nots always like the haves because the haves are better people. That is why the people of Frederick don't like Montgomery County and the people of Baltimore don't like the people of Washington, DC.

These stories occur every few years- typically the less-affluent part of a state wants to secede from the more-affluent part. This was recently demonstrated in the 1990s with the proposed state of Lincoln, the eastern half of Washington separating from what they viewed as the increasingly-liberal politics of the Tacoma/Seattle region. Michigan occasionally has secession talk from the Upper Peninsula folks who want to either leave the Lower Peninsula, if not the US completely. There was a group of West Texans and Panhandle folks who wanted to leave the rest of Texas around `98.

The problem stems from the fact that the less-affluent regions quickly learn that while they may be sick of their tax dollars going to the "out of touch" capital city, they typically receive more tax dollars than they chip in. Starting up a state requires incredible amounts of building capital for public buildings like schools, public works facilities and system management. Whatever the proposed new state would be called - New Liberty and Free both sound ridiculous. More like Appalachia, West Maryland, Alleghany, Frostburg or whatever - I'm sure Annapolis would love to sell the public sewage, water, electric and state road infrastructure to them at a fair market price of a few billion dollars. What's the value of Frostburg State, a hundred million dollars? I doubt Annapolis is just going to give it away, and also, say goodbye to in-state tuition at College Park, Towson, Salisbury, Bowie, Morgan, St. Mary's, etc... . A casino at Rocky Gap might be worth a few bucks to a private investor, but that resort's been a net loss for Annapolis for a couple of decades. How much of a check does Governor Scott Strzelczyk plan on writing for all those institutions?

And, I'm sure if you ask the citizens of the much wealthier Anne Arundel, Howard or Montgomery Counties if they'd love to keep their tax dollars closer to home and not spent on Mike Miller's pet projects in Cumberland for the past 30 years, you'd get few complaints.

there are way to many civil, commonsense folks in Frederick to support this kind of nonsense...why don't they just pack up and leave for Texas, it's just teeming with secessionist wackjobs...I'll even help pack their truck!

Current MD government is only looking at the Urban areas. Rural MD is a forgotten place and too many laws coming up that restrict or run counter to Agriculture. Good grief a Rain tax yet most of the State ( WMD especially) lives with rotting roads, scant public services and even scanter private services ( like cable TV and reliable over the air TV)

With only 620 FB Likes, I'm not too concerned this is going anywhere. Kids get tens of thousands when they say Like my FB page so my dad will stop smoking. When this guy gets 10,000 likes on his FB page, then it will be newsworthy, until then, not so much.